Francis returns to his hometown of Frenchtown after the war. He intends to kill Larry LaSalle, who raped his friend Nicole years earlier. Francis visits various places from his past and learns that Larry has also returned to town, sick with a tropical disease. When Francis confronts him, Larry admits to raping Nicole and others. He then commits suicide. Francis seeks out Nicole and finds she is trying to move on, studying in a convent. He leaves town on a train, reflecting on who deserves to be called a true hero.

1. “Heroes” by Robert Cormier
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3. “Heroes”
Characters
The writer
Themes
Plot
Background
Revision

4. Characters
Main characters
Other characters
Francis
Nicole
Larry
LaSalle

5. Plot
Full Plot Summary
Chapter 1
Chapter 17
Chapter 5
Chapter 9
Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12
Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8
Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

6. Other Characters
Marie LaCroix
Marie Lives in the same apartments as Francis and provides a link
between Francis and Nicole.
Marie acts as a confidante for Francis as he reveals to her that he like
Nicole.
Towards the end of the novel readers learn that Marie has continued
to provide a link between the two as she has informed Nicole about
Francis’ Silver Star for bravery.

7. Other Characters
Sister Mathilde and Sister Gertrude
Sister Mathilde is a figure from Francis’ past who had an influence on
him when he was at school.
Francis visits her in Chapter 15 to ask for information about Nicole.
It is significant that she reminds Francis that everyone has secrets.
Sister Gertrude was one of Francis’s teachers.
As he prays in St Jude’s Church in Chapter 1, it is Sister Gerrude’s
words which come into his head.

8. Other Characters
Uncle Louis
Uncle Louis cared for Francis after the death of his parents.
It is possible that Francis inherited his quiet personality from Uncle
Louis, who is described as ‘a silent giant of a man’.
Although he provided a home for Francis, cooked his meals and gave
him a weekly allowance, he seldom spoke to him apart from asking
about his day at school.

9. Other Characters
Mr Laurier
Mr Laurier, the owner of the drugstore, is another figure from Francis’ past.
Francis enjoyed working in his store, particularly stocking the candy cases.
It is a result of this job that Francis becomes closer to Nicole as she buys
sweets ad talks to him about books.
Mr Laurier’s drugstore is a meeting point and an informal news centre for
the people of Frenchtown.
He comments significantly on the way young men are trained to kill.
People can keep up to date with the progress of the war as they read the
newspapers or listen to his radio.

10. Other Characters
Louis Arabelle
Louise is Francis’ opponent in the final table tennis match.
Louis lost the match, ensuring that Francis won the championship

11. Other Characters
Norman Rocheleau, Eddie Richards, Erwin Eisenberg, Blinky
Chambers, Jack Smith, Sonny Orlandi, Spooks Reilly, Billy O’Brien and
Henry Johnson
All of these were wartime comrade of Francis and, with the exception
of Norman Rocheleau, were all members of his platoon.
They are mentioned in Francis’ nightmare in Chapter 3 and all either
dies or received injuries in the war.
When Francis considers what it means to be a hero in Chapter 17,
these are the men he thinks about.

12. Other Characters
Armand Telliere, Joe LaFontaine, George Richelieu, The Strangler
These men are regulars at the St Jude Club where the war veterans
meet.
The Strangler is the bartended who keeps a scrapbook of Frenchtown
heroes in which both Francis and Larry LaSalle figure.

13. Francis - Family
• Father (Lefty) – Mother - Raymond - Uncle Louis
This is Francis’ family. Raymond was his brother who died at birth
and his mother died giving birth to Raymond. Francis was six at the
time. His father died when he was a teenager and he goes to live
with his Uncle Louis, who obviously loved and cared for him but who
was uncommunicative.
• These characters showed us how Francis becomes an isolate, a rather
rootless person without a close family that it is obvious he needs. It is
not surprising that he idolises Larry as a role model and that he wants
to be close to Nicole and share his life with her. He does not want to
lose more people that he feels close to.

14. Francis – Physical Injury
• Francis seems very open and matter of
fact about his injuries. He mentions
them in the very first sentence of the
book.
• His injury was caused by the act for
which he was awarded the silver star.
He threw himself on a grenade, which
saved the other members of his
platoon.
• At first his injuries isolate him from
other people. Then he seems to use
them as an excuse for hiding his
identity.
• Are his injuries also a reflection of the
psychological scars he has?
Quotations
P. 1 “The war is over and I have no
face”.
P.3 “Anyway, this gives you an idea
of what I look like when I walk
down the street. People glance at
me in surprise and look away
quickly or cross the street when
they see me coming.
I don’t blame them.”

15. Francis - Nicole
• Francis idolizes Nicole from the first
time he sees her. He wants to
dedicate himself to her, to serve and
protect her.
• He is insecure, and unable to speak
to her. This is why he tells Marie
LaCroix that he likes her – telling
Marie not to say anything to Nicole
while hoping that Marie will say
something to her.
Quotations
P. 9 “The pale purity of her face
reminded me of the statue of St.
Therese”
P.10 “I knelt there like a knight at
her feet, her sword having
touched my shoulder. I silently
pledged her my love and loyalty
forever”

16. Francis - Nicole
• Nicole is more mature than Francis,
and seems to know that he likes her.
In a way she teases him a little.
• Francis seems jealous of the physical
intimacy between Nicole and Larry
while they are dancing.
• Only ‘beating’ Larry at table tennis
gives Francis the confidence to ask
Nicole to the cinema.
Quotations
P. 32 ““Hello Francis.” That same
strange teasing in her voice that
I’d heard when she’d warned me
about falling off the banister.”
P.42 “Jealousy streaked through
me as Larry LaSalle tossed her in
the air”

17. Francis - Nicole
• When he wins the table tennis, Nicole
casts Francis in the role of her
‘champion’.
• Francis still doesn’t ask her out, and so
Nicole starts coming to Laurier’s drug
store where he works. After she tells
him that she likes movies as well as
book he finally asks her out.
• Her reply “that would be nice” is
perfect, because their relationship is
nice – sweet and tender and to a large
extent innocent.
Quotations
P. 48 “she was suddenly in front of
me , radiant, clasping my hand,
whispering “My champion”.”
P. 53 ”The earth paused in its
orbit.
“That would be nice,”she said at
last.”

18. Francis - Nicole
• Francis blames himself for what
happened to Nicole when he left her
with Larry.
• Her reaction when she sees him
afterwards drives him to consider
suicide, and when he decides
against this, to change the date on
his birth certificate and join the
army.
Quotations
P. 69 “ I stood there thinking of
what I had seen in Nicole’s eyes.
It’s amazing that the heart makes
no noise when it cracks.”
P. 72 “Finally I asked “What can I
do?”
“Poor Francis.” she said at last.
But no pity in her voice.”

19. Francis - Nicole
• Francis cannot let go of Nicole. Even
though he knows she will not be
there he goes to look at her old
apartment in Frenchtown.
• Even when he sees her after Larry
has killed himself, and he knows
they will never meet again, he has
to ask if he can see her sometimes.
• At the end he must accept that he
will not see her again.
Quotations
P. 94 “”Can I come again
sometimes?” I ask, hating myself
for asking because I know the
answer. . .
“Oh, Francis” she says, the words
weighted with sadness. . . .
I close my eyes, clinging to the
moment, wanting to make it last
forever. “

20. Chapter One
Francis introduces himself and his injuries. Most of the chapter is told
in the present tense. He explains he has returned to his hometown of
Frenchtown. He takes a room in Mrs. Belander’s, and deliberately lies
to her to hide his identity. Francis goes to St. Jude’s Church to light a
candle for his parents, and for Larry LaSalle, who he tells us he intends
to kill. He also mentions Nicole Renard for the first time.

21. Chapter Two
In flashback – using past tense – Francis tells us about Nicole. Her
family moved from Albany in New York and she joined Francis’ school
when they were in the seventh grade. Francis worshipped her from the
instant he saw her. He told Marie LaCroix, her friend that he liked her,
and told her not to tell Nicole, even though he hopes that she would.

22. Chapter Three
Francis visits the apartment where Nicole used to live. The fact that the
Renard nameplate has been removed confirms she has gone. In
flashback he remembers being in the army and meeting another boy
from Frenchtown, called Norman Rocheleau in France, who told him
that the Renards had left, and nobody knew where they went. Back in
his apartment he remembers the first time he killed German soldiers,
who looked just as young as he was – he tells us that he was fifteen
when he joined up. The day after this was the day the grenade blew his
face off.

23. Chapter Four
On the way to the Wreck Centre, Francis meets Arthur Rivier. Arthur
doesn’t recognize him, bit can see that he is a veteran, and so takes him
to the St. Jude’s club. Many veterans in there are men Francis knows,
but nobody recognizes him. They are all talking about the future, and
their plans, and it seems as if Francis doesn’t belong there at all.

24. Chapter Five
Francis introduces the story of the Wreck Centre. He tells us how a
bride was killed by her ex at a wedding reception there, and so the
place was closed down. When it reopened, Larry LaSalle came to run it.
He organized all of the children using it, and ran art, craft and sporting
activities for them.

25. Chapter Six
Francis returns to the St. Jude’s Club to ask if anyone has seen Larry
LaSalle. The bartender, nicknamed the Strangler because he used to be
a wrestler has kept a scrap book of all the men in Frenchtown who
served in the war. It turns out that Larry LaSalle won a silver star – like
Francis – for knocking out a machine gun nest. Nobody has seen him.
Arthur recognizes Francis’ voice, but promises Francis to keep his
identity secret.

26. Chapter Seven
Flashback: Larry tells Francis he should take up table tennis, and he
trains Francis to a good level of skill. Francis wins a table tennis
tournament which Larry stages. The other kids want Francis to play
Larry, and Larry plays so skillfuly that although it looks as if he is trying
his best, he actually lets Francis win. Nicole makes it very clear that she
likes Francis when he wins, and calls him her champion. The day after
the tournament, Japan attacks the US naval base at Pearl Harbour.

27. Chapter Eight
In a very short chapter Francis meets Arthur in an alleyway at night.
Arthur is very upset, because nobody in the St. Jude’s Club ever really
talks about the war, only about the future. He tells Francis how scared
he was all the time, and says
“we weren’t heroes, we were only there.”

28. Chapter Nine
Flashback: Larry joins the army. Nicole starts coming round to see
Francis in Laurier’s Drug Store where he works. They talk, and when
Nicole says that she likes movies as well as books, he asks her to go to
the cinema with him.
One afternoon they see on a newsreel that Larry LaSalle has become a
hero for knocking out an enemy machine gun nest.

29. Chapter Ten
Francis tells us of the way a little boy was scared of his appearance in
London when he was having surgery. He tells us that he doesn’t care
now so long as he carries out his self imposed mission to kill Larry. He
burns the card with the address of Dr. Abrams of Kansas City who
promised to operate on him again and do more plastic surgery. Then he
thinks back to the day that Larry came home before.

30. Chapter Eleven
Flashback: Larry has leave and comes home to Frenchtown. There is a
big civic reception for him, then a party in the Wreck Centre. Eventually
just Francis, Larry and Nicole remain. Larry insists that Francis goes and
leaves him and Nicole to have one more dance to the song “Dancing in
the Dark” Nicole doesn’t want Francis to go, but he eventually does. He
waits in the porch, and listens, while Larry rapes Nicole.

31. Chapter Twelve
Flashback:Larry left town suddenly. Francis tries to find Nicole, and
when he does she says that she knows he was there, and asks why he
didn’t do anything. Francis has no answer.
Later in the week Francis goes to church, and considers jumping from
the tower and committing suicide. He decides not to because it would
be a sin, and decides to seek a noble death by joining the army. He
altered his birth certificate and joined up the next day.

32. Chapter Thirteen
Francis learns that Larry has returned to town when he overhears Mrs.
Belander talking about it to a neighbour. He learns that he seems to be
injured because he walks slowly as if his legs hurt, and he also learns
where Larry is staying.

33. Chapter Fourteen
Francis goes to see Larry LaSalle. Larry seems pleased to see him. He
tells Francis that he has ‘jungle fever’. It’s a wasting disease that is
gradually killing him. He calls Francis a hero. Francis explains that he
only fell on the grenade because he wanted to die, he didn’t care about
saving his platoon. When he asks why, Francis tells him he knew about
what Larry did to Nicole. Larry doesn’t deny it, and in fact she wasn’t
the only one. When Francis takes out his gun, so does Larry, but makes
it clear he will not hurt Francis. In the end, Francis leaves, and he hears
the sound of Larry shooting himself.

34. Chapter Fifteen
Francis finds out where Nicole lives from Sister Mathilde, his old
teacher.

35. Chapter Sixteen
Francis goes to see Nicole, who is studying in a convent. She knows that
Larry is dead. She apologises to Francis for what she said to him after
what happened. She realized it wasn’t his fault and went to his Uncle’s
house to talk to him but he’d already joined up. They talk, and Nicole
says that she thinks she is getting better. Francis aasks if there is any
chance of them staying in touch, but even though she doesn’t say no,
there isn’t. Nicole suggests he should become a writer. At the end of
the chapter he leaves.

36. Chapter Seventeen
The book ends with Francis sitting at the railway station, leaving
Frenchtown, thinking about what he could do now, and thinking about
the kids who went away to war, who were the real heroes.

37. Background
Pearl Harbour
Dancing in the
Dark
Fred Astaire
Inspiration for
book

38. Pearl Harbour
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by
the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United Statesnaval
base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941
(December 8 in Japan). The attack led to the United States' entry
into World War II.
• Click for more detail: -
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor

39. Dancing in the Dark - Lyrics
• Dancing in the dark 'til the tune ends
We're dancing in the dark and it soon
ends
We're waltzing in the wonder of why
we're here
Time hurries by, we're here and we're
gone
Looking for the light of a new love
To brighten up the night, I have you love
And we can face the music together
Dancing in the dark
What - though love is old
What - though song is old
Through them we can be young
• Hear this heart of mine
Wailin' all the time
Dear one, tell me that we're one
Looking for the light of a new love
To brighten up the night, I have you love
And we can face the music together
Dancing in the dark, dancing in the dark
Dancing in the dark

40. Fred Astaire
• Larry LaSalle is compared to Fred Astaire. Fred Astaire was an
American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer,
musician and actor. His stage and subsequent film and television
careers spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical
films, several award winning television specials, and issued numerous
recordings. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by
the American Film Institute.
• Click to see a clip of Fred Astaire dancing to Dancing in the Dark
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDHwJrbrp0Y

41. Robert Cormier
• Background
• Robert Cormier (1925-2000) was an
American novelist, best known for his
many young adult novels, the most
famous one being The Chocolate War. He
was born and brought up in Leominster in
Massachusetts, in the French-Canadian
section of the town called French Hill. It is
this place which is loosely fictionalised in
Heroes as Frenchtown.
• He was in his last years at high school
when the USA joined the war – making
him roughly the same age as Francis
Cassavant in the novel. Cormier had poor
eyesight though, and so could not join the
army. He studied and worked instead.

42. Francis Cassavant
Disfigurement Psychological
Physical
Face
isolationobsession
guilt
familyOrphaned
Uncle
War
His motives
His experiencesSilver Star
RelationshipsLarry
Nicole
Revenge
Love
worship
Heroism

43. Guilt
• Part of Francis’ guilt seems to come
from his catholic background. At the
start of the book he he prays for Larry
because he remembered Sister
Mathilde saying that you should pray
for those you don’t love. Then he feels
guilty for doing so.
• It is also his religious guilt, and
knowledge that suicide is a sin, that
stops him from committing suicide by
throwing himself off the church.
Quotations
P. 6 “I offer up an ‘Our Father’ and
‘Hail Mary’ and ‘ Glory Be’ for
Larry LaSalle. Then I am filled with
guilt and shame knowing that I
just prayed for the man I am going
to kill.”
P.75”Saying a prayer before
committing the worst sin of all:
despair.”

44. Survivor Guilt
• Survivor's guilt is a mental condition
that occurs when a person thinks they
have done wrong by surviving a
traumatic event when others did not.
• We know that Francis actually wanted
to die in the war, when he dived on top
of the grenade.
• This is made worse by the fact that
everyone thinks he is a hero for doing it,
because they do not know why he dived
on top of the grenade. He actually did it
to punish himself for letting Larry rape
Nicole.
Quotations
P. 80 “I looked for chances to die
and instead killed others, and
two of them kids like me. . .
When I fell on my grenade I
wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I
saw my chance to end it all in a
second.”

45. Inspiration for the Book
• Heroes was published in 1998. Robert Cormier said that he was
inspired to write the book by the 50th anniversary celebrations of
the D-Day landings of World War II, and the desire to recognise the
heroic acts of ordinary people

46. Themes
Heroism War
Loss of
Innocence
Love
Forgiveness
Concealment /
revealment

47. Heroism
• There are different examples of people being made heroes in the
book: -
• Before they even go to war, LaSalle is a hero to the kids of the Wreck
Centre. He brings out the best in them and they adore him. Even at
the end he is still making Francis feel better about himself, and
prevents him from becoming a murderer. Is this more or less heroic
than his war record? Francis is something of a peacetime hero as well
– by becoming table tennis champion and beating LaSalle he becomes
an icon to the other children.
• The scrapbook kept by the ‘Strangler’ at the St. Jude’s club contains
newspaper clippings about all the ‘heroes’ of Frenchtown, including
both LaSalle and Francis. The other men regard it as something of a
symbol, something to be proud of, but Francis is ambivalent.

48. Silver Star
• The Silver Star is the only medal awarded for ‘heroism’, we are told.
Both LaSalle and Francis have been awarded this medal, for saving the
lives of their fellow soldiers. LaSalle does so by taking out a machine
gun nest, Francis by falling on a grenade – the grenade that destroys
his face. Is it significant that one wins it by committing an act of
violence, whereas the other wins it by taking the damage himself? It
impresses the townsfolk – but Francis wants to remain anonymous.

49. “We weren’t heroes, we were only there.”
• Francis finds Arthur drunk outside the back of the St Jude club one
night. Arthur is crying, because he is haunted by the war but nobody
will talk about it. He scoffs at the idea of ‘heroes’ and says they were
all just scared boys, and that there was no glamour involved. He says
‘We weren’t heroes. We were only there.’
• This can be interpreted in two ways. One is that it is wrong for people
to call them heroes, because they didn’t act like heroes. It was merely
chance that they were there in the war. But when Francis remembers
Arthur’s words right at the end of the book, it gives them a different
interpretation. Francis is suggesting that merely by being there they
were heroes – scared or not, they did what they had to do and did
not run away.

50. Is Francis really a hero?
• When Francis talks to LaSalle he admits that he fell on the grenade not out
of heroism, but because he wanted to die, so he is not a hero. LaSalle
counters this, by telling Francis that deep down it was an heroic act, driven
by his instincts to save his fellow men. But it is LaSalle telling him this – can
he be trusted?
• Francis tells us that he always wanted to be a hero like LaSalle, but that
when he finds himself one he wants to get rid of the ‘fakery’. For him being
called a hero can’t disguise what he feels underneath, the guilt at failing
Nicole, and the fact that he wanted to die, so he feels like a coward. This
links to the question that LaSalle asks at the end: ‘Does that one sin of
mine wipe away all the good things?’ The whole book questions whether
people can really be heroes, when they have all their human failings
underneath.

51. Heroism and Secrecy
• Why do Francis and Nicole not tell everyone the truth about LaSalle?
Why does Francis tell no-one (apart from LaSalle) that he fell on the
grenade because he wanted to die? When Arthur is drunk and crying
about his wartime experiences, his two veteran friends pick him and
take him home, not wanting Arthur to talk about the war. There
seems to be a conspiracy not to reveal the heroes for what they are.
Is Cormier suggesting that we need heroes, even if they are fake?
• This is also suggested by the very positive effects of Francis beating
LaSalle at table tennis. LaSalle knows that if the other children believe
Francis has beaten him it will give them more self confidence.
Although LaSalle fakes the result, Francis is a hero. Cormier is
suggesting that even fake heroes can have a positive value in society.

52. The Real Heroes
• Nicole tells Francis that he should write about it, in order to find out
what a hero really is. This suggests the answer to the question is in
the book. But what is it? In the train station Francis thinks of the
soldiers in his platoon who were scared, but stayed and fought
anyway. They died and were never awarded medals, and he calls
them the real heroes. This is a straightforward way of looking back at
those who died in the war.

53. War
• Francis dreams of the German soldiers that he killed, but in his dreams
they cry ‘Mama’ and he sees them as boys, like him ‘too young to shave’. In
real life they didn’t have time to speak, but the dream emphasises a
common idea in war literature – that the soldiers on both sides often have
more in common with each-other than with their commanders.
• Throughout Francis never questions whether the war itself was just – he
describes it at the end as the ‘good war’. However, the depiction of
violence, and its effects, is quite brutal. The clinical and grotesque
description of Francis’s facial injuries at the beginning of the novel is a good
example of this. War is presented as horrifying and terrifying, with a
massive effect on those who fight in it, but Cormier is not concerned with
the politics of the war, nor does he make Heroes a pacifist novel.

54. War – the Veterans
• Arthur’s collapse behind the club one evening suggests that many of
the veterans have similar issues to Francis – although Arthur
appeared normal he is finding it very difficult to cope with the
memories of what the war was like. Because he is physically
unharmed, it is easier for him to pass as ‘normal’ than it is for Francis,
but this episode shows that doesn’t mean the soldiers who came
back in one piece are actually okay

55. Loss of Innocence – end of Childhood -
America
• There are many points in the book which represent an ending of
childhood innocence. One is a major event in American history – the
bombing of Pearl Harbor. Francis notes that ‘We had discovered in
one moment on a Sunday afternoon that the world was not a safe
place anymore.’ This was not just their discovery, but the discovery of
the whole United States, that they could not remain in isolation from
the rest of the world.

56. Loss of Innocence – end of Childhood - Francis
• When Francis confidently leaves Nicole alone with LaSalle in the Wreck
Centre, he does so in complete innocence of the danger she is in. Taking
people at face value is something which the novel constantly warns us
against – the apparently happy Arthur is found crying behind the St Jude
club, and the villainous LaSalle ends by doing something positive for
Francis, in affirming his heroism, and refusing to let him become a
murderer.
• LaSalle’s rape of Nicole in the Wreck Centre is the end of innocence for
both her and Francis, who waits in the dark knowing but unable to
acknowledge what is happening to her. It is also symbolic of the end of
their innocent belief in goodness – something that the war ended for many
people.
• Francis going off to war with a faked age on his birth certificate is a
significant step out of childhood – like many soldiers who signed up
underage, he is forcing the issue. He notices that other soldiers – even the
Germans – are also very young.

57. Loss of Innocence – end of Childhood - Francis
• He maintains a certain innocence even after the grenade – going to
London with his face uncovered, he doesn’t think that other people
will notice, until he makes a young boy cry. When he is home in
Frenchtown he appears to have become very cynical, but at the end
of the novel, he has turned back a little from that, perhaps coming to
happy balance

58. Loss of Innocence – end of Childhood - Nicole
• The fact that Nicole will not see Francis again after the meeting they
have at the end of the book also closes a door on the idea of there
being a ‘happily ever after’: although she is surviving, and continuing
to recover, she cannot go back to that state of innocence

59. Types of Love in Heroes
• Francis’s love for Nicole is highly romanticised – his first meeting with her is
compared to a knight kneeling at the feet of a saint. He can barely get up
the courage to speak to her, although they do eventually go out, and their
relationship is sweet and innocent.
• Later, in the army, he is motivated by both his love for her which has never
gone away, and his guilt about his failure to help her when she was
attacked. During the war his love and desire for forgiveness turns into the
only thing that makes his life worthwhile. From the first chapter where he
says ‘it would always be Nicole Renard’ to the penultimate one where he
tells us the reason he went to see Nicole was to see if she could still be his
girl ‘which could maybe change my mind about the gun in my duffel bag.’
This is verging on the obsessional, and Francis realises as he talks to Nicole
that the love they had ended a long time ago.
• There is the hero-worship the teens feel for LaSalle before the war, and
then that the town feels for the returning heroes. The scrapbook, the
reception for LaSalle and the toasting of the Silver Star heroes in the St
Jude Club all evidence this kind of love, and the need to find something or
someone to admire to make life seem better.

60. Types of love in Heroes
• Much of what LaSalle did for the kids of Frenchtown, and Francis in
particular could be described as loving: he makes Francis a more confident
teenager, and continues trying to make him feel better about himself even
after Francis has threatened to kill him. LaSalle also describes his sexual
desire for young girls (‘sweet young things’) as love. He says ‘we love our
sins. We love the thing that makes us evil.’ This is a darker side to what
‘love’ can mean to different people.
• There is an element of brotherly or fraternal love in Francis’s memories of
his fellow soldiers, in his remembrance of them every night. His sacrifice, of
throwing himself on the grenade, could also be seen as a loving one –
certainly LaSalle thinks that Francis’s instinct was to save his fellow soldiers,
not to kill himself. There is a sense in which all the veterans are bound
together by their experiences, which forms a kind of brotherly bond
between them.

61. Revenge and Forgiveness
• Francis is intent on taking revenge on Larry LaSalle, rather than
forgiving him. He does not offer any forgiveness: when LaSalle asks if
his one evil act can erase all the good he did, Francis coldly tells him
to ‘ask Nicole.’ However, he does allow LaSalle to redeem himself a
little by letting him take his own life. Is Francis’s drive to revenge more
about LaSalle’s guilt or his own?

62. Guilt and forgiveness
• Francis is driven by the need to find forgiveness for having let Nicole
down by leaving her alone with LaSalle. The guilt of the action, and
the fact that she blamed him for it, are almost overwhelming. He
wants to die, and closes ‘doors to the future’ because he doesn’t feel
he deserves either recognition as a hero or to live.

63. Larry and Forgiveness
• Ironically LaSalle gives Francis a measure of forgiveness, when he tells
him that he couldn’t have stopped the rape – he was just a ‘child.’

64. Nicole and Forgiveness
• Nicole offers Francis forgiveness in a very understated way. As it turns
out she regrets blaming him for the rape, and tried to tell him so
many years ago, but he had already left for the army. It is somewhat
of an anti-climax, but the real person he needs forgiveness from is
himself.

65. Francis and Concealment
• Francis arrives in Frenchtown with his face wrapped up and
concealed. On one level he’s hiding his injuries from sight, to stop
them horrifying others like they did the small boy in London who
cried. The idea of a face wrapped up in bandages recalls horror films
of the early part of the twentieth century. It may deliberately recall
the image of the Invisible Man.
• He’s also concealing his identity – he lies to Mrs Belander about how
he knows her name, and the wrappings conceal whatever might be
recognised. Francis is therefore able to walk around town completely
unrecognised, except as a war veteran.

66. Larry and Concealment
• Larry LaSalle also has a secret concealed in his past – the mysterious
reason as to why he had left his showbiz career to become a youth
worker. We never find out what this reason is, but it is implied by
LaSalle’s referring to ‘sweet young things’ in the plural in his last
encounter with Francis, that it was for something similar to his rape of
Nicole. In the beginning this mystery seems attractive, adding to his
‘glamour’.

67. Novel structure
• This theme is exemplified by the structure of the novel, which weaves
the three timelines together. Cormier uses foreshadowing extensively
to create tension in the novel – such as when Francis tells us in the
first chapter that he has ‘just prayed for the man [he is] going to kill.’
Then he gradually reveals different morsels of information, about
Francis’s war experience and the pre-war life in Frenchtown.

68. Psychological Disfigurement
• Francis’ physical disfigurement is more obvious than his psychological
problems, but these are still very serious. Francis is already a shy and
fragile individual before the war, through the loss of his parents. What
happens to Nicole inflicts terrible guilt upon him, and he develops a ‘death-
wish’ which means he joins the army in order to die.
• His experiences in the army, killing boys no older than himself traumatize
him further.
• He returns to Frenchtown obsessed with the idea of killing Larry LaSalle,
with not thought for the future, and only his desire for revenge to keep him
going.
• He seems unwilling or unable to enter into relationships with other people
now.

69. Obsession
• Francis spends the whole book waiting for LaSalle’s return to
Frenchtown so that he can seek revenge. Yet when the moment
comes his hand is shaking and he is overwhelmed. In the end LaSalle
takes his own life – but it seems unlikely that Francis could actually
have gone through with it, despite his plans and protestations.
• He does do his best to ensure that he has no future, by burning the
contact details of his friend from the hospital in England, and of the
doctor who says he will repair his face. He calls this ‘closing doors to
the future’. He seems to be doing this to leave himself no option but
to go through with this plan. Hope returns to the novel in the final
chapter when he thinks about tracking them down again.

70. Isolation
• Francis feels he has to keep his identity secret because of what he is
planning to do. But you also get the idea this is how he wants it to be
anyway. There is a huge contrast between him and the other veterans
in the St. Jude’s Club – he clearly doesn’t fit. It’s ironic that he is
actually still too young to drink in the St. Jude’s Club.
• It is worth noting that everyone Francis ever loves in the book – his
parents – his Uncle – Nicole and even Larry are either dead or beyond
his reach by the end of the book.

71. Francis and Larry:1
• Francis’ feelings for Larry are
complicated. The first thing he tells
us about Larry is that he has come
back to Frenchtown to kill him.
• Yet when he first describes Larry
there is more than an element of
hero worship.
• Larry is everything Francis isn’t, but
would like to be – confident, full of
skills and charisma, and attractive.
Quotations
P. 6 “I am filled with guilt and
shame knowing that I just prayed
for the man I am going to kill.”
P.29 “ A tall slim man stepped into
view, a lock of blond hair tumbling
over his forehead, a smile that
revealed dazzling, movie star
teeth.”

72. Francis and Larry:2
• He feels gratitude for Larry making
him a champion through the table
tennis. However he also feels
jealousy at Larry’s physical intimacy
with Nicole when they are dancing.
Quotations
P. 42 “then caught her, pressing
her close, their faces almost
touching, their lips only an inch or
so from a kiss.”

73. Francis and Larry:3
• Larry understands Francis’ feelings of
gratitude and his inability to stand up
to him, and he uses these to
manipulate Francis on the night that
he rapes Nicole.
Quotations
P. 66 “I saw Larry raising his
eyebrows at me, the way he
looked at me when I made a
stupid move at table tennis. Get
going. . .”

74. Francis and Larry:4
• Larry turns out to have had no idea
of how his rape of Nicole would
affect Francis.
• In the end he tries to help Francis
come to terms with his own feelings
of guilt.
• He cannot come to terms with losing
Francis’ respect
Quotations
P. 81 “Oh, Francis, you’re too hard
on yourself. . . You couldn’t have
stopped me anyway, Francis. You
were just a child.”
P.82 “Don’t look at me like that . .
. If I could have one thing it would
be to have you look at me again
the way you did at the Wreck
Centre. When I was the big hero
you say I was.”

75. Francis and Larry:5
• In the end, Larry does the one thing
he can do for Francis, which is to save
him from having to either pull the
trigger and become a murderer, ro to
fail in his mission, by letting Francis
know that he is about to kill himself.
• Does this make him Francis’ real hero
after all?
Quotations
P. 84 ”Downstairs , at last, after
what seems like a long time, I
pause at the outside door. The
sound of a pistol shot cracks the
air.”

76. Larry LaSalle
Heroic
qualities
His past
Relationships His death
Physical
appearence
Physical
abilities
Courage –
silver star
Ability to
inspire others
Dark hints and
rumours
Stage career
What he
tells Francis
Other people
Francis
Nicole
Disease Motives
Suicide
Hero or
Villain

77. Larry - Courage
• LaSalle joins up the very first morning after
war is declared; his actions in the war lead
to him being awarded a Silver Star medal,
and when he returns home on leave he is
given a hero’s welcome by the
townspeople and the members of the
Wreck Centre.
• He never discuss his innermost reasons for
joining up. Is it possible that his motives
are similar to Francis?
• Does his reputation as a war hero help him
do what he does to Nicole?
Quotations
P. 51 “As we were about to
cheer his announcement he
held up his hand.”None of that,
kids.I’m just doing what
millions of others are doing.”
P.56 “A New England marine is
one of the great heroes of
Pacific action, receiving the
Silver Star. . . “

78. Larry - Courage
• Is it courage that allows him to talk
calmly to Francis, to talk him out of
becoming a murderer, and to kill
himself so that Francis has not failed?
Quotations
P. 83 “So lower your gun,
Francis. One gun is enough for
what has to be done.”

79. Larry – Physical Abilities
• It is clear that Larry has admirable
physical abilities. He is an excellent
sportsman, and a dancer who is
compared to Fred Astaire. Whatever
the kids in the Wreck Centre do, he can
usually do it better.
• His appearance and physical abilities
are things which inspire admiration and
hero worship in others.
Quotations
P. 29 “. . . Had the borad
shoulders of an athlete, and the
narrow hips of a dancer. He
swung the bat with authority. . .
He was also a dancer with a
touch of Fred Astaire in his
walk, his feet barely touching
the floor.”

80. Larry - Appearence
• The first thing about Larry that Francis
describes is his appearance. It is not
accidental that he compares him to a film
star. Film stars are actors – so is Larry to
the extent that his physical appearance
conceals what he really is.
Quotations
P.29 “ A tall slim man stepped
into view, a lock of blond hair
tumbling over his forehead, a
smile that revealed dazzling,
movie star teeth.”

81. Larry - Appearence
• It’s ironic that Larry’s illness removes his
physical attractiveness at the end.
• Is this a sign of his sins catching up with
him?
Quotations
P.78 “He is pale, eyes sunk into
the sockets . . . And he seems
fragile now, as if caught in an
old photograph that has faded
and yellowed with age.”

82. Larry’s Inspirational Qualities
• Larry consistently has the ability to
inspire the children around him to
want to do more, and to learn things
and become things. You can argue
that for MOST of the children at the
Wreck Centre, he makes them better
people.
• Even at the end he is trying to make
sure that Francis doesn’t do the
wrong thing, by becoming a
murderer.
Quotations
P.31 “He tamed the notorious
school bully, Butch Bartoneau,
convincing him that he could
sing. . . Under Larry LaSalle’s
guidance Edna Beauchene, tall
and gawky and shy, became
the hit of the show.”

83. Larry’s Past
• The children of the Wreck Centre are
so inspired by Larry that even
though they do hear dark rumours
about his past, they ignore them.
• Later on it becomes clear that these
must have had something to do with
him doing to other grils what he did
to Nicole.
Quotations
P.32 “there were dark hints
that he had gotten into
trouble in New York City . . .
Dazzled by his talent and his
energy, none of us dwelt on
the rumours. In fact, the air of
mystery that surrounded him
added to his glamour.”

84. His final meeting with Francis
• Larry’s comment “Ah, the sweet
young things.” make it clear that
Nicole was not his first ever victim.
Quotations
P.32 “there were dark hints
that he had gotten into
trouble in New York City . . .
Dazzled by his talent and his
energy, none of us dwelt on
the rumours. In fact, the air of
mystery that surrounded him
added to his glamour.”

85. His Stage Career
• Few details are given, but we learn
that Larry has been a night club
performer in New York and Chicago.
Quotations
P.31 “ Rumours told us that
Larry LaSalle had also been a
star, performing in night clubs
in New York and Chicago.
Someone brought in a faded
newspaper clipping, showing
him in a tuxedo, stainding
beside a night club placard
that read ‘Starring Larry
LaSalle’.”

86. His Stage Career
• Few details are given, but we learn
that Larry has been a night club
performer in New York and Chicago.
Quotations
P.31 “ Rumours told us that
Larry LaSalle had also been a
star, performing in night clubs
in New York and Chicago.
Someone brought in a faded
newspaper clipping, showing
him in a tuxedo, stainding
beside a night club placard
that read ‘Starring Larry
LaSalle’.”

87. Larry and Nicole
• Even before he rapes Nicole there
are hints of Larry’s intentions
towards her when they are dancing.
• Larry also tells her and Francis that
they are his favourites.
• Nicole maybe suspects that Larry is
going to do something as Francis is
leaving
Quotations
P.43 “”Nicole’s the star on
Sunday and I want you to be
the star on Saturday. “Larry
LaSalle said. “I’m not
supposed to play favourites,
Francis, but you and Nicole are
special to me.”
P.67 “A patter of feet, and
then a hand touched my
shoulder.
“Don’t go.” Nicole whispered
in my ear.”

88. Larry and Nicole
• After Larry kills himself, Francis tells
Nicole. She finds it difficult to talk
about him and what he did. She
does talk briefly about what he did
and what he was before he came
back.
• She explains why she never told
anyone, saying that she had no
visible marks, and he was a war
hero.
Quotations
P. 91 “Don’t say it Francis. I
know what he was. For a while
there he made me feel special.
Made all of us feel special.
Made me think I was a
ballerina. Now I’m starting to
find out who I really am.”
P.92 “He was a big war hero.
He didn’t beat me up. No
visible wounds. So, I didn’t tell
anybody.”

89. Larry and Nicole
• Earlier Larry said that Nicole was
special to him. But at the end you
can have to ask whether she was
anything more than just another
‘sweet young thing’. Does he really
show any regret for what he did to
her? He seems far more upset that
Francis doesn’t look at him like he
is a hero any more.
Quotations
P. 81 “”You could have had
anybody.” I say, my voice too
loud, booming in my ears.”All
those beautiful ladies at the
dance that night. Why
Nicole?”
“The sweet young things,
Francis. Even their heat is
sweet.”
P.82”Does that one sin of mine
wipe away all of the good
things?”

90. Other People
• The only other person who doesn’t seem to think Larry is all he seems
to be is Joey LeBlanc, who listens to all the hints, and reckons that
there must be something wrong with him since he works in the Wreck
Centre.
• Everyone else makes Larry a hero. When he comes home he has a
massive civic reception from the Mayor. The Strangler has more pages
about Larry in his scrapbook than anyone else. Larry’s reputation as a
hero is one of the reasons why Nicole does not tell anyone what he
did.
• In the end, though, he is on his own. For all of the hero worship he
has not a single close relationship with anyone.

91. Larry’s Illness
• During the war Larry has contracted
a wasting disease which has robbed
him of his energy, and is wasting
away his muscles and his body.
• It means that he will never again be
able to do what he did to Nicole to
anyone else.
• Is Larry’s disease a reflection of his
inner corruption?
• Is it a punishment for what he has
done?
Quotations
P. 81 “No wounds that you can
see Francis. But I’m worn
out.They called it jungle fever
at first. But I don’t think they
really know what it is. .. “
P.82”No more dancing for me
Francis. No more sweet young
things.”

92. Larry’s Suicide
• Larry persuades Francis not to kill
him, by taking out his own gun, and
showing Francis that he is ready to
kill himself.
Quotations
P. 83 “Go Francis. Leave
everything here, the war, what
happened in the Wreck
Centre, leave it all behind with
me.”

93. Larry’s motives for suicide
• Is he trying to redeem himself?
• Can he simply not face life in his state of health, the fact that there
will be ‘no more dancing’ and ‘no more sweet young things’?
• LaSalle never expresses a sense of guilt over the crimes he
committed, so are meant to think that it is not done because he
regrets what he did at all?

94. Hero or Villain
• Villain of course, since he did what he did to Nicole, and probably
other girls besides. He does not regret what he did, only at the end
that he cannot do it any more.
• However to the townspeople of Frenchtown, chances are that he will
be remembered as the hero that they have made him.
• Is his last act heroic? Or is it a reaction to the fact that he cannot bear
the fact that Francis does not look on him with hero worship any
more?

95. Nicole Renard
Nicole and
Francis
Nicole and
Larry
Heroism The Future
Worship
Guilt
Why Francis?
Before the
assault
After the
assault
Her
heroes? Heroic
qualities
Hers
Francis

96. Why does Nicole like Francis?
• It’s clear she likes him before he
wins the table tennis – it’s just not
clear why.
• Marie may have told her he likes
her. She seems amused by the shy
way he acts around her.
• After the table tennis, he is her
‘champion’.
Quotations
P. 48 “She was suddenly in
front of me, radiant, clasping
my hand, whispering, “My
champion.””

97. Before the assault?
• Nicole has no physical feelings for Larry that we can see. She
respects him as her teacher, but never really sees him in any other
way.
• It’s not even clear whether she has the same kind of hero worship
for him that Francis has – she very much wants Francis to beat him
at table tennis.
• She is scared of Larry when he insists Francis leaves so that they can
dance.

98. Nicole’s Heroes?
• She never seems to quite hero worship
Larry the same way that Francis does.
However there is a hint that she starts to
feel that way about Francis.
• She calls him ‘her champion’, and in the
olden days a champion was someone
sworn to serve and protect his lady. In the
end, he fails to protect her from Larry
LaSalle.
• Is her initial reaction to blame him because
he has not lived up to her vision of him?
• Is this why she forgives him and thinks she
has been unfair to him?
Quotations
P. 94 “My good Francis. My
table tennis champion. My
silver star hero.”

99. Nicole’s Heroism?
• Francis seems to ‘worship’ Nicole from the
start, but is that the same as his hero
worship of Larry?
• Nicole shows great bravery and strength of
character in –
• going to apologise to Francis for what she
said
• Not telling her parents because she feels it
would kill them
• Keeping on, and making her life
• Not lying to Francis when he asks if he can
come and see her some times.
Quotations
P. 93 “”OK,” she says, “if I’m
not exactly alright then I’m…”
She screws up her face,
searching for the right word.
”I’m adjusting. Getting better
all the time.”

100. Nicole’s Future?
• She does have one. When Francis talks to
her she makes it clear that she is not ‘over’
what happened – maybe she will never be,
but she is coping.
• She has a future in St. Anne’s, where she
plans to be a teacher. It’s a little ironic
since Francis said at the start that Larry
himself was first and foremost a teacher.
• In this she is an example to Francis that
maybe a future is something he ought to
consider.
Quotations
P. 93 “She tells me about the
routine at St. Anne’s. That she
wants to be a teacher, English
maybe.”

101. Francis’ Future?
• It is only Nicole who can make Francis
think about the future.
• She tells him to write about what a
hero actually is.
• In the very last page of the book, he is
actually considering options for things
he could or should do. It doesn’t mean
that he will do any of them, but at least
it shows that there is hope, although
his future is uncertain.
Quotations
P. 94 “Write about it Francis.
Maybe you can find the
answer that way.” . . . “Have a
good life, Francis. Be whatever
will make you happy.”

102. Revision
Characters
The writer
Themes
Plot Background
Exam Questions

103. Revision Questions
Characters
Say two ways Francis reacts the first time he sees Nicole
Answer – he thinks she looks like a statue of St. Therese, and he wants to
kneel at her feet like a knight.
Who says to Francis “We weren’t heroes – we were only there.”?
Answer – Arthur Rivier
Who does Francis tell that he wanted to die when he fell on the grenade?
Answer – Larry LaSalle
Francis has a dream of “boys with apple cheeks, too young to shave.” Who
were they?
Answer – the German soldiers he killed.

104. Revision Questions
Characters
Who is the only person to discover Francis’ identity before he meets Larry
again?
Arthur Rivier
What does Larry say he wants more than anything at the end of the book?
To have Francis look at him the same way he did in the Wreck Centre
What clue is there in the description of Larry when he comes home on
furlough that something bad is going to happen?
Francis thinks he looks ‘sharper’ and ‘lethal’
Why doesn’t Francis commit suicide in the church?
Because it would be a sin, and a cowardly act.

105. Revision Questions
Characters Who are : -
Francis’ Landlady?
Mrs. Belander
The bartender at the St. Jude’s club?
The Strangler
The doctor who worked on Francis’ face?
Doctor Abrams
The boy Francis beat in the table tennis final?
Louis Arabelle
The person who told Francis where Nicole was?
Sister Mathilde

106. Revision Questions
Plot
Which exact event is interrupted by the announcement about Pearl
Harbour?
The party after the recital the day after the tournament
What happened at the Wreck centre before Francis arrival?
A jilted ex killed a bride at her wedding reception
How did Larry win his silver star?
Capturing an enemy machine gun nest
Why did Francis start wearing scarf and bandages?
A little boy in London was scared of his appearance
How does Francis close the doors to his funeral?
Burning Dr. Abram’s details

107. Revision Questions
Plot
How does Francis find proof that the Renards have gone?
Finding their nameplate removed from their apartment building
What song is playing when Larry rapes Nicole?
Dancing in the Dark
What does Larry say is his illness?
Jungle Fever ( although he thinks the doctors don’t know what it is)
Where is the place that Francis meets other veterans, who only seem to
want to talk about the future?
St. Jude’s club
What is Francis asking about when Arthur recognizes his voice?
If anyone knows when Larry is coming back.

108. Revision Questions
Background
What happened on December 7th 1941?
Attack on Pearl Harbour
Which country’s forces attacked America??
Japan
What was the effect of Pearl Harbour?
USA joined world war II – thousands of men volunteered immediately
for the armed forces – like Larry
Larry is compared to Fred Astaire – who was he?
A movie star dancer

109. Revision Questions
The Writer
Who wrote “Heroes”
Robert Cormier
When was it written?
1998
What was Cormier’s inspiration for the book?
The 50th Anniver5say of D – Day (1994) made him think about the heroism of
ordinary people who never received medals for bravery.
What did Cormier himself do for the war?
He was kept out of the armed forces with bad eyesight, and worked and
studied instead.

110. Revision Questions
Quotation best fit – which themes do the following quotes relate to?
We had discovered in one Sunday afternoon that the world was not a safe
place anymore.
Loss of innocence ( mainly ) – war
Nicole: "I shouldn't have said those things that day to you on the piazza“
Forgiveness
"I haven't always worn the scarf and bandage“
Concealment and revealment
Arthur: "We weren't heroes. We were only there.“
Heroism – what is a hero?

111. Exam Questions
• How does Robert Cormier present the character of Nicole in his novel? [20]
• How does Robert Cormier present the character of Francis in his novel?
[20]
• How does Robert Cormier present the character of Larry in his novel? [20]
• “A story of revenge.” To what extent do you agree with this description of
Heroes? [20]
• “Heroes” is an unusual title for the book, considering that none of the
characters are heroes. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
[20]

112. Exam Questions
• How does Robert Cormier present the character of Nicole in his novel? [20]
• How does Robert Cormier present the character of Francis in his novel?
[20]
• How does Robert Cormier present the character of Larry in his novel? [20]
• “A story of revenge.” To what extent do you agree with this description of
Heroes? [20]
• “Heroes” is an unusual title for the book, considering that none of the
characters are heroes. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
[20]

113. Exam Questions
• Which character, if any, do you consider to be the real hero of Heroes?[20]
• Discuss what you consider to be the most important theme of Heroes? [20]
• Discuss the way that the theme of heroism is presented in Heroes [20]
• Discuss the way that the theme of concealment is presented in Heroes [20]
• Discuss the way that the theme of the loss of innocence is presented in
Heroes [20]
• Discuss the way that the theme of war is presented in Heroes [20]

114. “Heroes” by Robert Cormier
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